Recapping the International Cyber Security Summer School 2023

Last week the 8th edition of the International Cyber Security Summer School took place. 60 students from over 20 countries participated in this week-long programme that took place from 20-25 August 2023. The participants followed multidisciplinary lectures with a technical, legal, governance and social science view on different areas of cyber threats and opportunities. 

The programme kicked off on Sunday with a special welcome by mayor of the Hague, Jan van Zanen, and a lecture by Hester Somsen, Deputy National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism and Director Cyber Security and State Threats. Students were given an introduction on all things cybersecurity before the week really kicked off with a variety of lectures, and finally: an introduction to the challenges.

ICSSS 2023 aftermovie:

During the International Cyber Security Summer School participants visited the headquarters of a few of our partners like NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), Europol and Accenture. During these visits students were given a taste of the security field through lectures and presentations, as well as a tour of the facility.

I was very happy to take part in the summer school and meet an incredible cast of various experts in the field of cyber security. I loved the opportunity to broaden my horizons and see that, outside of the technical, there is a multitude of ways to approach the problems. I never before was able to see the difficulties in fields like law and social sciences in the 

context of cyber security.’ - Martin Manolov (Student ICSSS 2023)

There was also time for collaborative activities during the week for example through the wargame on insider threat from Booz Allen Hamilton, or the KPMG Nederland workshop on OT Security. The participants from diverse backgrounds and countries worked alongside each other to solve real-world cybersecurity problems. They learned to incorporate other perspectives into their work, as well as the value of teamwork.

The chance to harmonise across various skillsets through experiential wargaming supports the attendees’ professional journey in cybersecurity. Attendees leaving the Summer Cyber School are armed with fresh insights about how a well-tuned security organisation can work and understand challenges in related decision-making. They saw how diversity enables a healthy security culture. And, that gives me great hope for tomorrow’s cybersecurity leaders! - Mr. Hatteras A. Hoops, Lead Associate, Cysec Professional, Booz Allen Hamilton

Throughout this week the students were given time to prepare and present solutions to challenges provided by Accenture, Awareways, Booz Allen Hamilton, ICTRecht, NCI Agency and Universiteit Leiden. The result was a collection of innovative solutions to contemporary problems in the field of cybersecurity. 

We would like to thank all our participating partners for their contributions this year to make it an amazing experience! If you want more information about the 9th ICSSS edition in August 2024 you can send an e-mail to info@securitytalent.nl. The pre-registration for this edition will open in October 2023.